Passing it Along: Communicating Chain of Custody to Suppliers and Customers

This document is an important resource for any entity contemplating or currently certified to PEFC's Chain of Custody standard, explaining how companies can best utilize PEFC in their marketing and communication activities.

PEFC's Chain of Custody certification is a key component of the forest certification toolbox. While sustainable forest management certification is crucial to maintaining and enhancing the goods and services that forests provide, it does not bridge the link from forests to the market. That link is provided by Chain of Custody certification.

PEFC's Chain of Custody certification is a mechanism outlining requirements for tracking certified material from sustainably managed forests to the final product. What sets it apart from other forest certification mechanisms is the inclusion in this standard of requirements protecting workers' fundamental social, health, and safety rights. For a product or products to qualify for Chain of Custody certification, all entities along the supply chain must be certified. Only then are companies eligible to use the PEFC label and logo on products and in product marketing to promote their responsible sourcing of material.

While achieving Chain of Custody certification is an important milestone in efforts to encourage sustainable forest management and ethical practices, there are even greater benefits to be had both by forests and certified entities. Passing it Along: Communicating Chain of Custody to Suppliers and Customers describes these benefits and offers detailed suggestions of how to communicate their certified status to customers and suppliers.